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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570655">Burn Slowly</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyBlueStrings/pseuds/BabyBlueStrings'>BabyBlueStrings</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Sally Face (Video Games)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Bloaters (The Last of Us), Clickers (The Last Of Us), Enemies to Friends to Lovers, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Abuse, Implied/Referenced Torture, Infected Characters, Inspired by The Walking Dead, M/M, Runners (The Last of Us), Sexual Content, Stalkers (The Last Of Us)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>In-Progress</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-11-27</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-11</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 20:40:30</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Graphic Depictions Of Violence</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>2</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>3,769</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/27570655</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/BabyBlueStrings/pseuds/BabyBlueStrings</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>The past few years the infection has become worse and worse, almost the entire population has ceased. The world had become dull and dark, everyone for themselves, run or die. The groups you could find really is a 50/50 chance and in the case.. its the good 50%. Sal hopes.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Sal Fisher/Larry Johnson</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>13</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Chapter 1</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>Leaves crunching underneath two pairs of feet as they walked tirelessly through a forest full of spruce and oak trees, under the setting sun. It was getting cold quick and dark, they wouldn't be safe in the open for very long once the sun sets fully. They aren't that safe now either but at least they could see where they were going and if those things were around them. A shorter man with somewhat curly blue hair that was losing its colour as the days passed by, and accompanying him was a small little girl with light purple hair and clothes that almost didn't fit her, yet she made it work since she really had no choice. "Sally.. I'm getting tired." Her voice was soft but sounded a bit broken like she was sick. 

</p><p>"Don't worry. We'll find someplace safe soon, Megs." He sounded calm but he was actually frantic in finding someplace without any of the 'things' around or anyone who will try and kill them. But they might have no choice to find other people. As the night grew closer, the area became more dangerous, and it was getting harder for either of the two to see anything in front of them besides the trees and the quarter moon, floating above it all and shining down. Sal could hear the little girl's footsteps start to slow down, even trip a few times but he thought nothing of it, she was just tired and it had been hours since their last break from the city before. "Sally. . ." The older heard her exhausted voice from a little farther behind. "Just a little longer Megan, I can faintly see a small town in the distance." He lied a little, he couldn't see it, but he could see some buildings shadows in the dark sky from the moon and stars. The pace of Sal's footsteps quickened to get to someplace safe in this town, even if it meant the basement of a house. 

</p><p>Sal kept moving pretty quickly, and once he saw a good sized building he stopped and smiled, exhausted from the long walk from Chicago to Detroit. "Megs, I think I found somewhere to st-" Turning to look at her, he saw her frail body fall to the ground. His eye grew wide watching it happen, tripping in the mud as he runs to go check on her. "Megan! Oh my god, are you okay?" Sal picked her up and felt her forehead after seeing her fast yet labored breathing and red face. "Fuck. .you're burning up fast. We gotta get you some place safe and warm." As he picked her up in his arms, bridal style, Sal frantically scanned the area around before finding the same building and running towards it but seeing a large fence of woods planks and  tall iron gates along with wire fence around some parts with a few makeshift watch towers surrounding some parts of the place. Still running, Sal could hear runners and a few clicks and shrieks from behind him so he ran faster to try and get open the gate, but once he shook the gate, he noticed the chain lock and shook even more hoping someone from inside would hear the iron banging together. "Please, someone! Anyone!" Sal peaked over his shoulder for a moment, seeing them draw nearer. "Fuck come on! We are unarmed!!" Suddenly the gate unlocked and opened, before Sal could process he was pulled in his hoodie and thrown to the ground hearing the gate shut and be locked up again. 

</p><p> Sal held his head, groaning softly, suddenly noticing the Megan wasn't in his arms. "Megan? Megs?!" Looking around he saw her on the ground, panting still, to the left of him. He goes to crawl over to her, until he heard the click of a gun pointed to the side of his head. "Who the fuck are you?" This man's voice was lower and sounded like a smoker's but had a little southern accent to it, and his look complied to his voice very well. 

</p><p>" Sal. My names Sal. Hers is Megan." Sal said, he needed to gain his trust. "Please. Do you have a medic? Or at least medicine? She has a fever." 

</p><p>"As in the infected fever?" His voice sounded angrier now and he had the gun pointed right on Sal's head to where he could feel the end point. That meant if he pulled the trigger, Sal's gone, and he would hear it right at his ear. "No, no, no. She's just sick. She needs rest. We walked from Chicago." He had his hands raised now to tell him he's surrendered and willing to do what he wants. 

</p><p>" Chicago?! Are Fucking crazy?! I should shoot you right now." 

</p><p>"Larry, what the fuck is going on? Who are these two?" A short brown haired girl walks up with a blonde haired guy, with his arms crossed. She noticed Megan, heading straight for her and picking her up. "She has a fucking fever idiot!" The long dark haired dude, holding the gun, slowly took the gun away now feeling terribly for leaving her there. "Don't hurt her. Please." Sal pleaded to the girl hoping that she would listen. "I'm all she has. . ." Slowly losing composure, his hands began to tremble at the thought of them hurting Megan in any way. 

</p><p> "We won't. But she needs medical attention." The woman looks at the taller man holding the gun, her expression also angry. "We're taking them in, but she'll have medical attention while you take him to one of the empty rooms. And make sure he stays there." Nodding, he pulls Sal up by the arm, and very harshly at that, taking him inside of the building but instantly Sal recognized what this place was. It was a mental hospital. It looked creepy and out of a horror movie staring at everything that had been destroyed or knocked down, besides the stuff that had been built in and supplies in different rooms. "If you stay quiet, we won't do anything." Sal only stared in front of him, staying quiet, as he was led to a room with the window broken and inside was just a bed with a blanket and a pillow, and a small dresser. Larry shoved him in the room, shutting the door behind him and locking it up. 

</p><p> "Can you at least tell me when she's okay. .? Or at least how she's doing." The blue haired asked the other male, almost pleading. Brown eyes met a bright blue one, when he sighed heavily and nodded. "Fine. As long as you stay quiet." Larry sounded threatening, but Sal knew he meant it in the most sympathetic way possible as he nodded softly. 

</p><p>"Thank you." Larry stood for moment before he walked away from the window on the door once he watched Sal sit on his bed and laid down. Finally getting some rest and felt every joint and muscle tense and tighten once he laid down. "It'll be okay. . I'll be here Megan."

</p><p> Every single day from then had been a cycle. Sal had gotten some food for breakfast and dinner but that was it, he'd get some info on Megan's recovery from Larry before heading to bed feeling worried but trusted them with her getting a recovery, since he learned from Larry that she had more than a fever. She had an infected cut on her leg that needed to be taken care of, and she had some breathing problems at the moment but that got better a few days after they'd been taken into the hospital. "You don't need to know about her every night." Larry had finally had it with doing this for him.

</p><p> "Yes I do, she could be really hurt or getting worse and I wouldn't know." Sal was gripping the broken window frame, careful of any shards of glass. "Just please. A few more nights." 

</p><p> "No." Both of them fell silent, and didn't look at each other. "How about you tell me about yourself. .?" Sal asked hoping to gain conversation, he'd go mental if he didn't have enough social interaction since he spent four years with Megan and now he didn't have her in his grasp. Sal's eye looked haggard while he stared at the other boy on the other side of the metal door, hoping he'd say something, anything. Sighing, Larry finally nodded. "Fine if it'll get you to shut up after." 

</p><p>"Okay. Where'd you get that scar?" He pointed his pale index finger at the boy's tan neck that had a nasty scar wrapping around his neck, looking a little pinkish but after time it seemed to pale to his skin tone. 

</p><p>" . .people. My turn." The quickness in his response took Sal off guard. "Why do you wear that thing?" 

</p><p>"It's a prosthetic. Its to hide. . yknow, something gruesome." Sal answered hoping that he would accept that. "It looks cool. Especially with the scratches and fading colour." Larry's compliment made the bluenette almost blush since he's never received a response like that in his whole life, Megan never talked about it since she thought that was his actual face and he had a giant mouth full of teeth underneath so he could eat. He loved the idea and would tell her when she was just a little older, but someone his age recognizing this as just a mask on his face and compliment it and not make fun of him for it just hit a soft spot. "Thanks. . um. Why did you make this your base?"

</p><p> Thinking for a moment, Larry answered. "It was one of few buildings still holding up after the infection spread and besides some of us were already staying here after the adults fled like fuckin rats. Me including." Sal noticed the scars on his arms but didn't mention it since he understood and could tell he did go through some shit before all this started. 

</p><p>Before Larry could say his next question he heard little pitter patters of feet running down the hall getting louder and louder then another pair. "SALLY!" "Get back here! You need to take your medicine!" Megan and another girl with short silver hair were running down the hall like Megan was about to get her leg cut off as she found where Larry was standing and hid behind him, gripping his ripped jeans. "Hey! Let go! She's not gonna hurt ya." 

</p><p>Megan looked up at Larry who seemed to be around more than six feet tall, and his brooding posture and angry looking face appeared to make the little purple haired girl sob even more from all the new people. "Megs! Hey its okay!" Sal voiced out to her so she would feel safer, to which she did and tried opening the door to hug him. "Can you open the door please. .?" Larry turned to the other girl as she nodded, giving him permission to open it, then pulled out the keys unlocking the door, opening it slowly so Megan could see Sal. She instantly ran in and hugged his legs.

</p>
<p>"Woah woah, its alright. I'm safe. They were just taking care of you sweetheart." He reassured her by slowly petting her hair as she softly sobbed. "Its alright, we're okay." 

</p>
<p>"I. .I thought I l. . lost you." Sal shook his head, smiling, since he finally got to see her well and up running around. "Everyone's so s. .scary." The blue haired boy understood how she felt since she's never really been around other people besides him throughout the years. She's not used to other personalities of people. "No, no. They're just scared like you and me." Megan lifted her head to look up at him and noticed his eyes were genuine and were a little smaller from him smiling. "Hey. She needs to take her medicine so. ." 

</p>
<p>Sal nodded at the girl, who had her hands on her hips from Megan being a little troublemaker. "Okay, you gotta go back with her. I'll be here. Remember, one eye out. ."

</p>
<p>"Keeps you safe. Okay Sally."  She smiled brightly at the boy before letting him go and following the silver haired girl back down the hall. "Sally?" The dark haired man asked snickering a little as he locked up the door again. 
 
</p>
<p>"Shut your trap." Sal said, rolling his eye.</p>
  </div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Chapter 2</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>The days went by, nights grew longer and longer for Sal every day even after Megan got better and was in the room with him. It felt like a trap and they were prisoners of this disgusting place. The room was musty and held dust, grim, and vines and bushels grew in from the window and in through the tiny cracks in the walls from years of no one concerning for the building after the infection started. "Sally. . ." He looked down at her hearing her soft and shaky voice. "How long will we be here?" The question struck many answers and questions in his head like a swarm of bees in a hive. How long will they be here. Will they even live long enough with the amount of food they get throughout the day? Are these people just gonna let them die? Sal gripped onto his arm tightly, overthinking too much and asking too many questions to himself, they haven't even been near people in months and it wasn't even for a day. "I. . I don't know." The boy's voice was quiet and sounded like he was in fear, just like when he was a kid, watching his mom get killed and his face being blown. ". . I don't know. I don't have the answer this time." Megan kneeled down beside Sal's small body, holding tightly onto itself. She reached out putting a hand on his shoulder and his hand, like how he does to her when she's upset and getting to that point of fear. They stayed like that while Megan talked to him softly about it, saying that it was okay that he didn't have the answer all the time.


</p><p>An echoing knock came from the door sounding metallic. "Hey uh. . everyone wants to introduce themselves." It was Larry's low somewhat southern voice, sounding softer than usual but they didn't really take much of it. "You haven't tried anything so you have our trust. For now." The door lock clunked open with a loud click, swinging open slowly there he stood. Larry's posture was more light and sturdy rather than protective and angry, and Sal saw in his face that he had heard Megan and his conversation but he didn't say anything as the two walked out since he never wanted pity for what he thought or had went through. 


</p><p>Their footsteps echoed through the hallways and rooms until they made it to a larger room which had yellow walls, the paint had been dripping from the ceiling, grass and weeds grew from the corners of the room and windows. Some toys were laid around thee room as well as a tables and chairs, as well as a couch on the opposite side of the tables, then Sal finally noticed everyone standing in front of him as Larry put a hand on his shoulder to stop him from walking into them. Sal took a good look at all of them, the girl with short brown hair who was Ash, the silver haired girl who was Maple, but he really didn't know the rest. A red curly haired boy, and a taller dark male standing close beside him, noticing them holding hands. Then the blonde boy from when he first got here and a younger boy with brown hair, he kinda looked like Ash. But on closer inspection, he noticed he had a prosthetic leg while he played a German Shephard. "Um. . .sorry we all got on the awkward side." Ash spoke up first since no one else was. "We just didn't know if you two could be trusted." 

</p><p>"I understand that." Sal agreed still holding onto Megan's hand tightly. The two groups stood there awkwardly thinking of what else to say but they had already told enough by how they acted with them in the first place, locking them up, not interacting with them besides Larry occasionally but he rarely talked anyway. "Oh my god. You guys suck." The blonde spoke up and annoyingly made his way over to the blue haired boy. "I'm Travis." He took the other's hand and shook it a little harshly.

</p><p>"Sal. Pleasure." Snatching his own hand away, and both of them glared at each other. Both had an attitude. "This is Megan. Can we just go back to our room?" Larry seemed taken aback by how he asked. He thought they would've wanted to get out and meet everyone since they've been stuck in there for days on end with barely any interaction or daylight. Sal looked around for any objection, but no one gave him an answer so he stiffened up, turning on his heels, and walked out taking Megan with him back down the hall to their room almost like he was angry or annoyed. He mumbled under his breath as he kept walking, his pace quickening until they finally got back, opening up the door and shutting it harder than he intended but Sal really didn't care. "Sally? Are you okay?" Megan's sweet voice got Sal to calm down a little, relaxing his shoulders and sighing deeply. 

</p><p>Turning to face her, he smiled a little and she could see he was by the crease in his eyes. "Yeah. Just not seeing how they would really care to get to know us by being so quiet." She frowned and held his hand tighter once the creases disappeared from his eyes and he had this dead look. "God its been so long." Sal's voice was strained and tired just by staying in this old room of broken souls of before them. Just as quick as he got lost in his thoughts, they snapped back into reality when Sal heard the loud stomping of running footsteps through the empty hallways of the hospital and turned his head up to see who had ran down the hallway like a maniac. Panting and standing in the doorway, slamming his hand against the door frame, stood Larry once again. "What do you want?" 

</p><p>After catching his breath, Larry spoke almost annoyed or worried, he couldn't tell. "What's wrong with you? You finally get to come out and meet everyone ye-"</p><p>"Stop right there." Sal interrupted Larry, putting his index finger up to stop him. "If they were really interested in trusting me, or even getting to know me they wouldn't have been that fucking quiet." Larry was taken aback by the sudden change of demeanor of this kind blue haired boy he first met in this room, who begged him to talk to him so he wouldn't feel alone and get to know each other better. But it seemed they didn't know either boy as well as they thought. This made Larry start to get angry by being shown a different person than before, his fists shook, eyebrows furrowed, and he tried keeping himself from going out of his comfort zone.</p><p>"They just feel bad for locking you two up with only the reason s that you were from the outside. That's why they were fucking quiet." Larry's voice had raised from the softer tone.</p><p>"Don't fucking pity me." Sal brought himself to his feet, now facing the taller male in front of him, not scared one bit by his size. "I know damn well they want us out of here and so do you."</p><p>"Don't tell me what you think I think."</p><p>"I'll tell you whatever I want."</p><p>"What happened to the kind Jersey dude who talked to me? What happened to the one who told me about his fucking cat?" Sal's eyes grew wide, now regretting telling him any of those things. "What about your relationship with Megan?"</p><p>"Shut the fuck up!"</p><p>"No! You shut the fuck up!"</p><p>"You don't know me at all!"</p><p>"I know you're a fucking decently nice guy! Who loved his cat, who loved his parents, who loves this little girl with him." Larry towered over Sal, both of their voices growing louder and louder, wanting this argument to end. "You're the one who doesn't know me at all." Staring daggers at each other, Megan had slipped away from the feud going on between the two boys and went to find the other little boy that was in the cafeteria playing with his toys on the floor. "Maybe those were just fucking lies for me to trust you. And maybe you just killed your paren-" Suddenly, Sal's fist met Larry's cheek, knocking him backwards as blood spit from his mouth. 

</p><p>"Don't you dare say that again you southern piece of shit." Sal's voice was loud, but what Larry said hit a chord and made his voice crack as his eyes filled with tears from just the thought. Watching as Larry stumbled back to his stance, he held his cheek which was forming a bruise along with a now busted lip and half bleeding nose from the impact, he spit out more blood onto the white tiled floor and wiped away more of the crimson liquid, dripping from his nose and mouth, as his dark eyes glared at the blue haired boy standing in front of him with a fist still held up with little specs of Larry's blood on his hand. Sal's chest rose and shrank with the amount of panting he was doing since his mask was heating up underneath after yelling and punching the other man, then soon realizing what he'd done. "Wait- I- I didn't mean. . I just. ." Larry brought himself up and slowly sauntered over Sal who was carelessly wiping Larry's crimson blood off his knuckles onto his ripped sweater. "I'm so sorry-" Before Sal could even finish his sentence he was knocked back, onto the floor, by being punched hard in the gut. 

</p><p>Coughing back the spit and slight blood, Sal wrapped an arm around his stomach and gut, moaning in pain. "Punch me again, and that'll be fucking worse." Larry spoke in a dark tone as he shook his hand from punching Sal to the ground. "I'll get Maple. Don't move." Sal turned his body to look where Larry was as he was walking away, seeing his run down Harley Davidson's. Sal's eyes watered and his breathing was heavy and labored, yet his blood boiled. "Fuck. . fuck you asshole."</p>
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